The field of the invention is wheelchair restraint systems, and the invention relates more particularly to straps used to secure a wheelchair to the floor of a motor vehicle. When wheelchairs are transported in a bus or other vehicle, it is important that the wheelchair be restrained so that when the bus starts, stops or turns, that the wheelchair will not move any significant distance.
Many restraint systems have been devised, and most of these use a floor track installed in the vehicle to which a track end fitting is snapped. The major drawback with presently used systems is that it is very time consuming for the motor vehicle operator, or assistant, to tie down the wheelchair which must be done before the bus can move. Part of the reason for this time-consuming step is the inaccessibility of the frame of the wheelchair for attachment of securement straps. Wheelchair restraint systems are shown in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,060,271; 4,257,644; 4,427,210; 4,492,403; 4,623,289; 4,688,843; 4,826,193; 4,951,365; 4,966,392; and 5,026,225. Most of these tie-down restraint systems require time-consuming attachment steps. Others are impractical in that the cost of equipping vehicles with such devices is prohibitively expensive and they are not adaptable to all wheelchairs.